Lemp St. Louis Lager - Lion Brewery, Inc.

Anonymousmark

3.6/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a start-up beer allegedly brewed with the old St. Louis Lemp Beer dynasty recipe. I cannot say for sure why, but I like it. It drinks smooth and crisp and has a nice unusual finish. I suspect you will either love it or hate it. I have not located the beer outside the St. Louis region but when shopping for beer I will almost always pick up a six-pack or two of longnecks. I suspect part of why I enjoy Lemp is because it is not part of the world-wide beer congolmerate. In short, its worth trying. I have spent far more for beers I like far less.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 16:59:44 | More by Anonymousmark

GossageBrewery

Missouri

2.89/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this Pale Lager from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass Poured a golden orange color, produced an average white head , featured poor retention and left little lacing on the glass. The aroma contained some malted grain and a wee bit of hops. Light in body, there is some sort of a mineral taste that overshadows the malted grain- Im not sure if this is the original recipe for Lemp Lager, (which was the nations first lager beer.) - That said its decent, worth a try but not something I would go back too.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 00:30:29 | More by GossageBrewery

CPeterson

Minnesota

3/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A -- A copper hued burnt orange brew that pours to a two finger khaki head which setlles to a light froth, leaving fine lacing.

S -- Roasty and bready malt characteristics, some mild earthy / herbal hop aroma.

T -- Big bready malt right up front, countered by the light presence of bittering and floral hops.

M -- Mid body, low-mid carbonation, soft and easygoing.

D -- Overall, a halfway decent beer; I would happily choose something of this caliber over the typical American Light Lager but I could arguably find a better pre-pro wherever I may find myself.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 22:18:51 | More by CPeterson

DCon

Missouri

3.15/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Bought Beer from Lukas Liquor in a Mix-A-Six. (1st Beer of Night)

Appearance:Has an orange body

Smell: smells like a familiar Belgian I've had lately

Taste: Has a Metallic and dry taste.

Mouthfeel: Almost no carbonation

Drinkability: Has Metallic taste but goes down smooth and a beer I can go back to. Would only be a beer I would enjoy as a first of the night.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 03:26:26 | More by DCon

zeff80

Missouri

2.85/5  rDev +4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured out a clear, orange color with gold highlights. It had little to no head retention and left no lace.

S - Aroma was a little weak. Some grainy, bready aroma. No hop or floral aromas.

T - It was sweet and bready with some nice caramel flavors. A touch of bitter hops - really quite mild.

M - It was crisp, sharp and fairly smooth. A light lager that is good but lacked the dry finish I expect from a good lager.

D - This is an okay lager. Not something I'd regularly pick up or recommend to anyone.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 03:20:16 | More by zeff80

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear, orange-hued body with no more than a thin ring of white bubbles on top. Swirl - swirl - nothin'.

Smell: Sweetish, lightly bready nose with a vague estery fruit hint and touch of floral European hops.

Taste: Upfront is a sweetish, stale bready (bordering on grainy) taste. Touch of fruit. Faintly floral, lightly spicy hops, though the bitterness is a bit lacking, leaving you with a semi-dry finish and some bleak flavors lingering into the aftertaste. You're lifeless and a tad unclean, Lemp.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Though it paired well with the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire", it's not one to stand on its own really. Sadly, Lemp is one to skip. I dare say it'd even come up short when compared to some of the macro lagers.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2009 18:42:34 | More by ChainGangGuy

Cresant

Kentucky

2.55/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a pils glass. No date. The murky body was a dull golden brown. The head was bright white and persistent.

Smell was slightly vegetal. No hints of hops.

Taste was sweet vegetables, carrots or corn. There was some tart counterbalancing. Fruity, more like an ale than a lager.

Mouthfeel was smooth with a medium body.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 03:02:42 | More by Cresant

skeetermoses

Oklahoma

2.42/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I always wanted to try this beer, I finally got a sample pack of beer with this one in it. I am not impressed with this beer at all. It is not the worst by any means but I think I was correct in not picking up this beer for the longest time. I don't think I will be trying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 02:30:24 | More by skeetermoses

colts9016

Idaho

2.93/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A dark golden yellow pour that is slightly clouded. The head quickly disappears.
Citrus, wheat and a hint of malt gives it a pleasant aroma.
The taste of this beer is unbalanced. The first sip give way to a malt but the finish has a hint of citrus. There is no body to the beer. It is mediocre attempt at a beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 20:08:11 | More by colts9016

MTNboy

Missouri

2.9/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I felt that this was a very good interpretation of the English style. It strongly resembled a lot of the common British name brand ales. It brown body with great creamy tan head and lace. The aroma was very roasty and malty The taste was about the same just a little more bitter than the smell with minimal wood and nut tones. The mouthfeel is creamy and full.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2008 13:33:57 | More by MTNboy

BeerIsland

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Well, I was in Wilkes-Barre over the weekend and stopped in to see Lenny at Wyoming Valley Beverage. They purport to have a good selection of imports and micros and I needed a little supplementation in the cellar. I went up and down the aisles until I stopped in front of a massive pile of Lemp cases. I recognized the name and for those not familiar, St. Louis is emblazoned on the case. I flipped it over and around looking for other clues but there were none. At less than $12.00 a case, I figured it was worth a shot. Lenny said he didn't know where it was from but it had just arrived the day before. After paying up front, I ripped the case open a bit and pulled out a bottle. It should have been obvious to me but I finally found the statement it was brewed and bottled for Lemp by the Lion.

Well, this is a slightly different kettle of fish than Lionshead. There's a nice malt nose, decent looking head, and reasonably rich amber color. Flavorwise, I would say way less corn, better balance, ample hops, and decently smooth. I kinda like this beer, despite all the more knowledgeable comments below. Sure, the head doesn't stick around too long but the lacing is real. I think the carbonation is adequate and I'm hoping the freshness has something to do with this. It does have a lingering finish that's pleasant and is overall drinkable. Consider the price! I think this is a real beer at a great value.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2008 20:21:42 | More by BeerIsland

Pegasus

Texas

2.1/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Appearance: Clear and deep reddish-golden color, with a massive, coarse white head, which retains rather well. Thin, scattered lacing adorns the glass walls. Little carbonation is evident.

Aroma: Rather pronounced aroma of musty, wet grain, with some yeast notes.

Taste: Opens with a wet grain note, rather like a non-alcoholic beer with the addition of harsh medicinal bitterness. The bitterness intensifies as the taste progresses, and lingers on well past the end of the taste. There is also a state bread note late in the taste. As another reviewer astutely noted, even when consumed cold, Lemp has a taste profile similar to over-warm lager.

Mouth feel: Smooth and fairly full, soft and pleasant, with just a hint of carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: While Lemp is purported to be a craft-brewed beer, it does not compare well to commonly-available macro lagers. I really wanted to like this beer, with its 19th century-style label and the sobriquet of "America's First Lager Beer". But alas, Lemp did not live up to its promise, or to my modest expectations.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass long neck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a standard pint tap glass.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2008 03:02:34 | More by Pegasus

hwwty4

Missouri

2.42/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured a 12oz bottle into my Chimay chalice. Poured a highly carbonated orangey-brown, with a big white head that disappeared into nothingness. There is absolutely no head retention at all. Aroma is odd. It almost smells like the water out of a minnow bucket. Not nearly as fishy, but that earthy smell is in there. This beer also has a slightly yeasty aroma with a sharp sourness from the malts. The taste isn't much better. This beer is oddly yeasty, which makes up the majority of the taste profile. There is also a slight sour twang to it. Mouthfeel is surprisingly dry. This beer isn't nearly as crisp as I thought it was going to be. I definitely will not be seeking this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2008 20:31:00 | More by hwwty4

JDV

Texas

1.58/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Very clear light amber. Slight sour maltiness and a bit of yeast in the smell. Taste is earthy malt, dry, sweaty yeast. Sweet, yet drying... Not a very clean or pleasant finish. Bad even by pale lager standards, I thought. Stay away from this beer!!!

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2008 19:10:17 | More by JDV

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bright tangerine with minimal visible carbonation. The toasted bagel colored cap was about a bagel thick after the pour and doesn't look too shabby. In the end, a respectable amount of lace sticks to the glass.

The aroma is sour and musty and ale yeast fruity. Most all-malt lagers smell like grain with a handful of German hops. It isn't bad, it's just unexpected and isn't consistent with the style (note: since changed to American pale lager). Warming ushers in a hint of nastiness.

The flavor is pretty much a carbon copy of the nose, which means that it isn't any good either. Lemp St. Louis still strikes me as an estery ale, with all manner of strange flavors competing for attention. Clean it is not.

Let's see... lightly toasted sour grain mixed with old peach skins and soaked in mineral water. It isn't nearly that bad, but I'm struggling to come with words that capture the flavor profile accurately. It's both sweet (early) and bitter (late), though neither one dominates at any point along the way. Yep, this is an strange one.

Lemp isn't quite limp, but it's damn close. That's what happens when a light body is coupled with too few bubbles. A better mouthfeel would be nice, but it wouldn't change the scores on either side of it.

Lion Brewery's Lemp St. Louis Standard Lager Beer is supposed to be a recreation of the first lager brewed in America, by Adam Lemp, in St. Louis, in 1840. The brand was brought back to life by a group of investors in 2004. This is either a lousy recreation of the original or the original died for good reason. Some things are best left on the scrapheap of history.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 13:48:22 | More by BuckeyeNation

ch473

Missouri

3.35/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured very cold from bottle. Pretty beer, nice deep golden orange with smooth carbonation and light tan foam that sticks to the glass. Very nice appearance.

Grassy, grainy smell. Sweetness.

Strange taste. Tastes old, musty-like. A little fruitiness near the end. Hard to describe. Corn and sour apples and musk, some almond/nutty in there too. Tastes like it came out of one of the Lemp's caves... Interesting.

Feels watery, very light carbonation.

Great with my dinner of pierogies and sausage. With the great bottle design and the fascinating history of the Lemps, it's hard not to like this beer. Overall a good beer, a little odd. Like the family who made it I guess.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2008 00:14:16 | More by ch473

assmasterson

Missouri

3.13/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours pretty clear, full of carbonation with a small head that quickly fades. Basically standard macro fare.

S: Slight amount of hops, a little bit of flower here and there, but not much at all.

T: Stronger than the normal Budweiser taste, with a much more detectable hop note.

M: A little thicker and stickier than I had expected. Still, goes down smoothly.

D: Fairly high, but not quite as high as some other domestic brews, as this one feels a little stronger than the standard fare. Still, not a terrible pick up if you're looking for something simple.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2007 04:18:29 | More by assmasterson

HardTarget

Texas

1.88/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Bottle Inspection: Olde school graphics look fairly cool, but no real useful information, including a neck laser code “20407” which tells me they don’t want to tell me the date.

Aroma: Wet grain, corn, and a mild yeast element. Nothing really exciting going on here. Mild musty note.

Appearance: Light amber glass with a solid ¼ finger head that laces nicely.

Flavor: The wet grain is only amplified. Corn element is also pretty strong. It has all the bad elements of an American Marco without the redeeming qualities of a clean profile.

Mouthfeel: Medium heavy body, low carbonation.

Overall Impression: Tastes like warm Budweiser, but feels cold; I’m confused. Poor execution of a style that has been mastered by others. If you want an American Macro, just drink BMC.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2007 06:14:32 | More by HardTarget

BeerZack

North Carolina

2.6/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Clear amber one-finger fizzy head that quickly fades to spotty thin foam.

Smells like sweet light and carmalts with spicy carbonic whiffs.

Slightly roasted sweet malt with a metallic finish. Watery impression on finish. Small step from your average macro lager.

Aggressive carbonation bites the tip of my tongue. As the beer warms and loses all that fizz it gets a bit sticky, sweet, which makes the drinkability not so good.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 18:10:44 | More by BeerZack

ttu94

Texas

2.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

After reading about the original Lemp brewery and how prohibition killed them and Lemp Jr put a bulllet in his heart I was suprised to find a beer called Lemp still being made. Well this is not the original Lemp it comes from PA and just uses the name but I bought it so I might as well review it. Looks ok clear yellow with a decent head. Smell is malty, a nice start. The taste has a very disticnt flaw. Cooked, make that overcooked vegie taste. This really needs to be reworked. It is not the worst lager beer I have had but could be o so much better and that is dissapionting.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2007 03:43:57 | More by ttu94

mhaws000

Oklahoma

3.05/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-poured a predictible light bronze with about 1/2 inch of foam that quickly faded into a light lacing.

S-Some light toasted corn notes were almost all I could pick up

T-Not too bad actually. A little malt, balanced nicely with a touch of herbal hop finish. I couldn't think of anything else I would have asked for out of this beer. It isnt amazing by any means but if I wanted amazing I would have paid alot more for something else.

M-A very nice velvety feel cut with moderate carbonation. I was actually very pleased in this department because it felt "good" not thin and overcarbonated like so many american lagers.

D-I have to rate this pretty high. Not because this beer was that great but because this beer didn't do anything wrong. It was exactly what I think a basic American Lager should be. Light, crisp, refreshing, unobtrusive, mindless. I could easily drink this again and again. This beer is not full of flavor but I dont think it was meant to be. I think it was meant to be an easygoing light flavored "just finished mowing the lawn" type beer and I think that this beer pulls it off pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2007 07:13:09 | More by mhaws000

Vancer

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

“Americas First Lager Beer” Now brewed by Lion in PA. And yeah, I thought this was just a novelty beer years ago, but it’s still arriving, so time for a try.

Hey! Not to damn bad – clear sunshine yellow / amber pour topped by a decent white head. Do note husked and cooked veggies and corn in the aroma. But a semi-malty brew in the quaff. Well balanced, crisp and dry. Yeah, this was actually refreshing and tasty. I’d have no problem popping a few of these guys.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2007 15:16:41 | More by Vancer

whynot44

Missouri

2.7/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Light bodied, clear bronze gold color with a moderate white head.

Aroma is primarily grain with some biscuity tones and grassy floral notes.

Taste is also primarily grain with some light malt sweetness and, unfortunately, a hint of cardboard. There is a grassy/floral/citrus overtone as well. Slightly dry at the finish for a lager, but interesting.

This is drinkable and nicely refreshing on that basis. Flavor thins Quickly as it warms, so get it on down for best results.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2005 05:52:33 | More by whynot44

salukiKMO

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I was looking forward to trying a St. Louis beer that wasn't made by AB. Although I noticed it's actually brewed in PA.

The color was that of most lagers..a darker yellow than say a Bud Light. The head quickly dissapated after the pour. I thought the taste was pretty good. A little too hoppy for my liking but overall not bad. Would recommend as an alternative to the lager macro beers like a Bud or Miller.

Hope this helps..my first review.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2005 05:17:09 | More by salukiKMO

ghurux86

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +36.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

first off, this is better than the other STL beers, meaning AB products.
pours a dark yellow with a hint of orange, a white head that dissipates kinda fast but not instantly and even after it stays around the edge. laces a little.
smells of corn, yeast, malt, and something sweet maybe caramel or something.
taste is pretty much like the smell, but the malt seems to come through a little more with a slight hoppiness at the rear end.
feels good going down, nice and smooth, medium bodied, and not a lot of carbonation.
very drinkable imo but i like to try new stuff so it will probably be a while before i get it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2005 06:25:52 | More by ghurux86